As we get more experienced in our careers, some of us give up on truly making a difference in our work and other people’s lives.
This has never happened to Guy Kawasaki, who I talked with on The Small Business Radio Show. He is the chief evangelist of Canva and the creator of Guy Kawasaki’s Remarkable People podcast. He is an executive fellow of the Haas School of Business (UC Berkeley), and adjunct professor of the University of New South Wales. He was the chief evangelist of Apple and a trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation. His new book is “Think Remarkable: 9 Paths to Transform Your Life and Make a Difference”.
Here is what we discussed:
Why the Japanese concept of ikigai was an inspiration for this book on how to be remarkable. (Ikigai translates to “reason for being,” and in a perfect world lies at the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, and what you can be paid for.)
Why discovering your ikigai is not a one-time event but a continuous journey of self-discovery and adaptation. Unfortunately, it is not a perfect world, so you may find yourself in a position where what you love to do and are good it cannot pay the bills.
Why if you find yourself compelled to keep doing something that you’re not good at and can’t make money doing, then you truly have discovered your ikigai, you should rejoice.
Why you need to lower your expectations and standards. Don’t expect a love at first sight, instant discovery of your passion.
How to plant a lot of seeds. It may take a lifetime to find your ikigai or that your ikigai finds you. So you should experiment with many different activities and side projects to find what resonates with your interests and abilities.
Why nothing worth becoming your ikigai is going to be easy and fast to master.
Why seek feedback and adjust? Use external feedback to refine your understanding of your ikigai.
Embrace the likelihood that you can’t make money with your ikigai. This means “keeping your day job” and exploring ways to generate income from it, such as freelancing and moonlighting.
How to take the “shit sandwich” test. You will know you’ve discovered your true calling when you enjoy the shit sandwiches that it involves.
Why Steve Jobs was a jerk, but he was a jerk with a mission!
Listen to my entire interview with Guy on The Small Business Radio Show.
Image: Guy Kawasaki
